You’ll Regret Stealing Him from Me — My Sister Who Took My Fiancé and Celebrated Was a Fool - Chapter 48

One day, an envoy arrived from the Vandering family. It was a notice demanding that I divorce Roderick.

First, they forced us into marriage, and now they’re forcing us to divorce!?

Anger surged within me. How selfish can the family head be?!

But my anger quickly subsided.

To be honest, part of me was relieved.

My days with Roderick had been hell. Every single day was filled with arguments. We blamed each other, hurled insults. Every time we saw each other, it was always, “This is your fault,” “No, it’s yours.” Just the sight of his face made me sick.

Finally, I would be free.

“I can leave this suffocating mansion.”

Roderick would remain in the estate, but I was instructed to return to the Altvier Marquisate.

Perhaps I could re-enter high society. For the first time in so long, I felt a flicker of excitement.

Divorce meant my ties with the Vandering family were severed. Maybe I could finally distance myself from that scandal. The past was the past. I could start anew.

I imagined myself back in high society. Standing in the glittering halls once more, dressed in beautiful gowns, adorned with jewels.

“After all, I belong there.”

Yes. I was meant for high society. Not wasting away in some remote estate.

A few days later, I received word that Father was coming to retrieve me.

Yes, yes! I can finally go home!

I hurriedly prepared myself. Not that I had much to wear in this place. Still, I did my best to look presentable—fixing my hair, making myself look as decent as possible.

It had been so long since I’d seen Father.

What expression would he have? Surely, he must have been worried. His precious daughter, exiled to the countryside. He must have been heartbroken.

The carriage arrived.

“Father!”

“Isabella.”

I ran toward him. But when he called my name, his voice was cold. His face looked haggard. Why was he looking at me like that? It was unsettling.

“I’ve come to take you back.”

“Y-yes.”

“Take me back”? Not “bring me home”? But the wording didn’t matter. I was finally leaving.

“Then let’s go. Right away.”

I boarded the carriage, leaving the remote estate behind. I thought we were heading straight home. But soon, I realized the carriage wasn’t going toward the capital. The road didn’t seem right. Unease crept in.

“Um… Father?”

“What is it?”

“The carriage it’s not going toward the capital, is it?”

“That’s right.”

My unease wasn’t misplaced. Yet Father remained indifferent, as if this were completely normal. What was going on?

Silence fell. No explanation came.

Dread coiled in my chest.

How long had we been traveling?

The carriage stopped.

I looked out the window.

“Where is this?”

This wasn’t home. It was a modest, unfamiliar estate—plain, with no decorations. The walls looked old, as if they hadn’t been repainted in years.

“This is where we’ll be living from now on.”

“…What?”

What did that mean?

I was supposed to be going home.

Wasn’t I supposed to regain my place as a marquis’s daughter?!

“Get down.”

Father’s voice left no room for argument.

I was led inside. The parlor was bare, hardly any furnishings. It didn’t even feel like a noble’s residence. The remote estate at least had some decor. But here? Nothing. The walls were blank, the furniture minimal. It was like a commoner’s home.

“There’s something I need to tell you.”

Father’s voice was heavy. A terrible premonition gripped me.

“I’ve returned my title to His Majesty.”

“…What?”

What did he just say? Did I mishear? Returned his title? How could that be?

“You returned your title?”

“That’s right.”

“W-why?!”

My mind went blank. Returning a title? That meant we were…

“To take responsibility.”

“Responsibility…?”

“For failing to raise you properly.”

No. That wasn’t it. This wasn’t my fault.

“From now on, I’ll be the one looking after you.”

A pause.

“Until the day I die.”

Until death. Forever. In this plain, lifeless house. No longer a noble. Never returning to high society.

“This can’t be…!”

Words failed me. Was this real? Was this my future?

“Big Sister—!”

I blurted out.

“…What about her?”

“Big Sister can help us—!”

Yes. Seraphina would help. The Liebenfelds had influence. Her husband was a powerful military noble. They had money.

We were sisters. She wouldn’t abandon me. She couldn’t.

“It’s pointless.”

“…Huh?”

“I’ve already parted ways with Seraphina.”

“Parted ways?”

“That can’t be!”

“From now on, she has nothing to do with us. Our statuses are different now.”

A pause.

“So, give up.”

“Give up”?

Even Big Sister was abandoning me?

We were sisters. Bound by blood.

“Why…?”

The whisper slipped out.

“Why did it come to this…?”

Father said nothing. He just watched me with those cold eyes.

And so, I lost my noble status completely. Any chance of returning to high society was gone forever.

Days passed in that dreary house. Nothing to do.

No beautiful gowns. No dazzling jewels.

Nothing.

Only time, slipping away.

“Why…?”

Over and over, I whispered it.

Why did this happen?

Why was I the only one suffering? Meanwhile, Big Sister was still living happily, it seemed.

Rumors reached me.

Even when I didn’t want to hear them.

The Liebenfelds’ success.

Their standing in high society.

Their loving marriage.

“I was the one who…”

All I could do was whisper.

As time passed, Seraphina’s success only shone brighter.

And my jealousy grew deeper.

Even as I aged, it never faded. It festered, condensed, turned uglier. A dark emotion swirling endlessly in my chest.

Even as my hair turned gray.

Even as wrinkles carved into my face.

This feeling never changed.

I looked in the mirror.

My aged face.

The beauty I once took pride in was long gone. Wrinkles around my eyes. Deep lines around my mouth. Dull skin. I was withering away.

And yet.

“I was the one who was supposed to be lovelier.”

I couldn’t help but whisper it. Mourning what I had lost. The radiant woman I once was. The days when I was the center of attention in high society.

The rumors about Big Sister never stopped.

Even when I didn’t want to hear them.

Even when I wanted to cover my ears.

But I heard them anyway.

How she had become indispensable in high society.

How she was praised as a bridge between civil and military officials.

How she was loved by her husband, living in happiness.

How she had a child—a bright, kind child.

“Why…?”

Again, I whispered.

“Why does Big Sister get everything?”

I would carry this feeling to my grave. This jealousy would never fade.

Because Big Sister was happy, I was miserable.

And I would stay miserable forever.

I looked out the window.

A gray sky.

The same dull, unchanging scenery. The trees, the road—everything looked faded.

“Why her and not me?”

My whisper echoed hollowly in the silent room.

No one answered.

No one would ever answer.

Only time continued to pass.

Days without change.

Jealousy without end.

And today, like every day, I continued to resent my sister.